Italy’s top art museum has been hacked potentially leaving its security systems vulnerable to future robberies, as the opposition accuses Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government of not doing enough to protect the country’s artistic heritage.
A cyberattack targeted Florence’s Uffizi Galleries earlier this year, the museum confirmed Friday, as Italian media alleged the breach forced authorities to move parts of its famed collection to secure vaults.
But the Uffizi stressed in a note shared with POLITICO that the incident was “nothing like the Louvre,” which was recently forced to close parts of its operations following a major heist in October last year, disrupting access and forcing its director to resign in February.
The museum insisted no passwords or security maps were stolen and that the systems involved were closed-circuit and not accessible from outside, with “no information lost.” The transfer of items to the vaults, including Medici-era treasures, was unrelated to the cyberattack but due to ongoing renovations.
The episode quickly turned political.
Former Prime Minister and ex-Florence Mayor Matteo Renzi tore into Giorgia Meloni’s government, accusing Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli of failing to protect one of Italy’s most iconic cultural institutions in his home city.
“Hackers attack the Uffizi and threaten our cultural heritage. What is Minister Giuli doing?” Renzi wrote on X on Friday. “Has he even noticed, or is he too busy playing the flute … or stirring up controversies?” he added, also questioning the role of Italy’s cybersecurity agency and vowing to demand answers.
The attack comes just weeks after three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse were stolen from a museum on the outskirts of the northern region of Parma — a reminder that not even the greats of art are safe.
Credit: politico.eu
